why stretch marks aren’t as bad as you think

As a little girl (with no brothers), I saw my mama’s bare belly plenty of times. But never for very long….because of the stretch marks. Those pearly-white lines etching patterns into her body. Like rivers on a road map. Like a tattoo that she never really signed up for.

I’d ask about them (because I didn’t have any yet – surely I needed those to be a beautiful woman like she was (is). She also had a big, puffy C-section scar – twice cut open. I needed one of those too…) and she’d laugh them off and say something along the lines of,

“You were worth it.”

I never understood what that meant until now, in my third trimester, with my third baby.

Those lines.

They weren’t something ugly, like my mama thought but would never say out loud. No. They were a bartering tool.

My mama, like all mamas, traded her body for my life.

What a precious, flawless thought.

And that’s exactly what this journey of pregnancy is. A handing over. An act of trust. Submission to whatever may come. Stretch marks, c-section scars, the swollen ankles, nausea, the acne. All of it – simply part of the deal. Some women go through the journey unmarked, while others take on a heaping bag of stuff. And the truth is, nobody goes into pregnancy and SIGNS UP for this stuff. I won’t pretend that I, like many other women, haven’t sought out ways around the stretch marks and cellulite.

But….

When we devote time (too much time) worrying about how we’ll look after that baby comes or whether we’ll be marked up, we miss out on the beauty of submission and what the end result provides us with. New life! A small chance to play a bigger role in something beautiful.

I would challenge us all, myself included, to look at our bodies with a little more grace, pregnant or not. And THIS is why I won’t be sharing any anti-stretch mark tips with you. Because in doing so, I would in a small way be contributing to the idea that our bodies, squiggly lines and all, are things that need to be changed.

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48 thoughts on “why stretch marks aren’t as bad as you think”

StephanieGigsays:

Save your money!! I used to use Lady Soma’s Stretch Mark Treatment – its $34. . .It was OK, but instead I started using Lady Soma’s Skin & Nail Treatment and it worked so much better on both my stomach and thigh marks! And its 1/3 the price! Only $16, and it lasts a long time. Save your money. They prob raised the price of the Stretch Mark Treatment, but get the Lady Soma Skin & Nail Treatment and use it on your stretch marks – it works BETTER and you save money. . .

This is one of the most beautiful posts I have ever read. I have always looked at my stretch marks as ugly, divots in my skin that make me less of a person. I have stretch marks because of unhealthy weight gain and not pregnancy, but always feared they would get worse with pregnancy later in my life. You’ve completely opened my eyes to a whole new point of view. Thank you!

Cait @ Beyond Bananassays:

Well this made me tear up…as I spend each morning after showering examining my new body in the mirror. The tiny stretch marks, the bulge that currently hangs over my c-section scare at 26 days postpartum… but how true is it. My body was able to carry two babies.. at one time… to 38 weeks gestation. Over 13 pounds of baby. Do I cringe sometimes when I look in the mirror? Yes, occasionally. But I certainly don’t cringe when I look at my beautiful newborn twins … and my body is the reason they are here.

Same here! (of course- because we are the same person…). I grew rapidly in height in weight around age 11 and all of the sudden had stretch marks. I didn’t know what they were and I was mortified. But now, like you said- they’ve been a part of me for SO long that I don’t even think about them. I’d rather NOT have them- but that’s life.

Emzsays:

Amelia @i_heart_kalesays:

I have mixed feelings about my stretch marks. Mine are not from pregnancy but from a point in my life where I was obese and now have had lost the weight. I used to be embarrassed and loathe looking at myself in the mirror, swimsuit, and being naked in front of my husband. One day he asked me about them and I flat out gave him my thoughts. He told me that he loved me, all parts, stretch marks included, and that I should be proud of how far I have come. So to this day, I’m not fond of having them leftover, but they do serve as a reminder of what I have accomplished and how strong I am.
With weight loss aside and just looking at pregnancy, the moment that we have the chance to have a baby (God willing and still praying), my body will be for my baby and making sure that I do everything in my power to bring it into this life healthy. It won’t be about me anymore.
Thanks as always for your amazing posts!! :)

Love.
I have ’em. Lots of ’em.
Yes, my babies were worth it and yes, even knowing what my stomach would end up looking like, I’d have had them anyway.
That said, I’d very much like to lose the stretchmarks and keep the kids. ;)